The team, which played in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), was led by first-year head coach Mark Phelps.

On April 21, 2008, Mark Phelps was named the head men's basketball coach at Drake University, succeeding Keno Davis.

Emmenecker was one of the most compelling individual stories in the 2007–08 college season, going from three-year walk-on to MVC Player of the Year.

Returning starters are shooting guard Josh Young and power forward Jonathan "Bucky" Cox.

North Dakota State, Stephen F. Austin, and Texas-Pan American will be the participating schools.